“The addition of Syclo's expertise in building and selling mobile solutions in industries such as utilities, oil and gas, life sciences and manufacturing will immediately enhance SAP mobile solutions,” company officials said in a press release. “It will also accelerate the adoption and deployment of new mobile asset management and field service solutions.”

Focusing exclusively on enterprise mobility solutions, Syclo has more than 600 customers in 39 countries across all major asset and mobile-intensive industries. An established SAP partner, Syclo offers mobile apps that help companies extend business systems to a wide range of mobile devices and users. Syclo's expertise and technology offers a mature set of applications that complement SAP in key mobile areas such as enterprise asset management, field services, inventory management and approvals/workflow, and represents a significant growth opportunity for SAP.

"Syclo and SAP have cultivated a strong partnership, and today's announcement is the next step in delivering a fully-integrated mobile platform and enterprise application portfolio to both Syclo and SAP customers," said Rich Padula, CEO, Syclo. "Together, we will expand and accelerate our ability to help businesses run better through mobility."

Upon receipt of applicable regulatory approvals and satisfaction of certain other conditions, SAP will acquire 100% of Syclo's equity. Syclo's solutions will become part of the SAP mobile solution portfolio, and Syclo's employees will join SAP. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2012.

Annual Salary Survey

Before the calendar turned, 2016 already had the makings of a pivotal year for manufacturing, and for the world.

There were the big events for the year, including the United States as Partner Country at Hannover Messe in April and the 2016 International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago in September. There's also the matter of the U.S. presidential elections in November, which promise to shape policy in manufacturing for years to come.

But the year started with global economic turmoil, as a slowdown in Chinese manufacturing triggered a worldwide stock hiccup that sent values plummeting. The continued plunge in world oil prices has resulted in a slowdown in exploration and, by extension, the manufacture of exploration equipment.